Old Mutual mall creating jobs: Pohamba

13 Mar 2014 18:10pm

KEETMANSHOOP, 13 MAR (NAMPA) - About 100 employment opportunities for young people living in the //Karas Region were created during the construction of a multimillion dollar shopping complex by Old Mutual Namibia at the southern town.
A further 150 new permanent employment opportunities are expected to be created when the newly inaugurated facility becomes fully operational in the next few months.
This was announced by President Hifikepunye Pohamba at the official inauguration of the Mutual Keetmanshoop Mall here on Thursday morning.
The President told the residents of the southern town and invited guests at the gathering that in addition to the N.dollars 92 million invested by Old Mutual Namibia in the local economy, some crucial employment opportunities were created during the construction of the shopping complex.
Pohamba said he was pleased to learn from the management of Old Mutual Namibia that goods and services were also procured from local business people and that skills have been acquired by those people who were employed during the construction phase.
The Head of State said in addition, the store operators, retailers and other service providers who will operate from the shopping centre will also provide other employment opportunities to the people residing in Keetmanshoop and other surrounding areas.
The mall will provide the community of Keetmanshoop and other southern towns with a variety of retail shops and other services including commercial banks. This will ensure greater convenience for the people of Keetmanshoop, the broader //Karas Region, and also for the visitors. It will furthermore ensure that the residents of Keetmanshoop and surrounding areas will no longer travel long distances to places such as Windhoek in search of services that they may need from time to time, said Pohamba.
He then strongly urged service providers, both in the public and private sectors, to decentralise their services and make it available in towns such as Keetmanshoop and others in the //Karas region.
The shopping centre currently accommodates 13 new retailers and two commercial banks.
The Mutual Keetmanshoop Mall consists of a total 11 000 square metres of which 10 000 square metres are gross lettable, while the remaining 1 000 square metres are common areas.
The complex will offer 222 parking bays catering to retail clients, office tenants and customers.
The construction of Mutual Keetmanshoop Mall was completed in November 2013.
The retailers that have committed to the shopping centre are OK Furnishers, Hungry Lion, Jet, Edgars, Legit, Exact, Shoprite Liquor, Markham and Mr Price.
The First National Bank of Namibia and Standard Bank Namibia have already installed automated teller machines (ATMs) at the shopping mall.
Pohamba is in the //Karas Region for the next three days.
On Friday, he will visit the Naute Dam Agricultural and Irrigation Project, the construction site of the Neckartal Dam, as well as the Aussenkehr plantation project along the Orange River.
(NAMPA)
SKE/AS